CAIRO — In one shop in this bustling capital's core, Egypt's top army chief is everywhere: giving a speech, getting kissed by a beautiful girl, marching in uniform — all images imprinted on chocolate.

"He saved the country from the Muslim Brothers," said sweet shop owner Bahira Galal of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose visage can be ordered on a sheet cake or on a batch of bright red balloons with the phrase "Long Live Egypt."

Support appears solid among people in Cairo for the man who engineered the ouster of Egypt's first freely elected government in decades. Some of the backing is a part admiration for al-Sisi, but also a reflection of the dearth of political alternatives in a country craving stability and security, analysts and activists said.

"The general is the guy who knows how to get you out of hot water and it is not the hour for anybody else," said Said Sadek, a political sociologist in Cairo. "The conditions create the hero. The hero doesn't create the conditions."

Those conditions included an increasingly repressive Islamist government that followed the ouster of longtime Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and an economy that went from bad to worse.

In late June, millions of people protested what they said was a hijacking of their new democracy by Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, the first freely elected president of Egypt who had given himself sweeping powers over the judiciary, launched investigations against his critics and sought to regulate pro-democracy groups.

Morsi's opponents accused him of forcing an Islamist constitution on the people, pushing a religious agenda and ignoring the crumbling economy. Crime rates had risen under Morsi and militant attacks on government outposts persisted in the restive Sinai Peninsula.

The man Morsi himself picked to head the military, al-Sisi, gave Morsi 48 hours to satisfy the crowd's demands. When he failed to do so, al-Sisi had Morsi put under house arrest. Though President Obama has called for a rapid return to civilian rule, many Egyptians hail al-Sisi as the nation's savior.

"People are concerned about safety and security, not about democracy or freedoms," said Khalil al-Anani, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

"Many people believe the only one who can secure Egypt now is Sisi regardless of his political project or vision," he said, noting that Egyptians lost faith in the civilian elite and are subject to a mass media campaign hailing al-Sisi. "There is a huge political vacuum in Egypt."

Kamel Saleh, vice president of the liberal Egyptian Social Democratic Party, blames the lack of political alternatives on Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, repressed political opponents and was accused of rigging elections.

"We had no political life for so many years," Saleh said. "You don't become a leader or a politician overnight. You have to have a long history of public work, and 30 years of Mubarak is responsible. We don't have politicians."

Al-Sisi's face peeps from posters across the capital — poised in store windows and tailor shops, glaring down on tea-sipping smokers at popular cafes as he garners praise sometimes for little else than the simple logic: "Who else can I support?"

"I support him because there's no one else — yet," said Michael Mikail, 27, a lawyer, as he walked through downtown Cairo. "Maybe in the future there will be, but nowadays there is no one else."

In a nation where the military has long been a powerful pillar of the state, some say it is natural that people turn to al-Sisi.

"People tend to go to the option that is known for 60 years, which is to have an army officer on top, thinking he is the one most capable of protecting the country and maintaining its interest," said Khaled Dawoud, spokesperson for the Constitution Party.

The al-Sisi society ranges from politically robust — with some launching petition campaigns to urge al-Sisi to run in the next presidential race — to kitsch.

One jewelry designer sells necklaces with the letters "CC." A Tumblr social networking site called Sisi Fetish shows a bridal party sporting an army theme, and claims there's even a sandwich named after the general.

"Sisi is a great man," said taxi driver Ezzat Mohammed, "and we want him to lead us now because we don't want the Brotherhood."

In rare interviews with local and international press, al-Sisi has neither confirmed nor denied his possible candidacy for president. But many predict he will win if he runs — an outcome some believe would thwart prospects for real democracy.

"You cannot expect that Egypt would have a genuine democracy in the foreseeable future if Sisi won elections, not only because he is from a military background but because of the approach he is adopting now — security vs. democracy," al-Anani said.

Over the past four months, the government has launched a sweeping campaign against "terrorism" — shutting down Islamist media outlets, throwing thousands of Brotherhood members in jail and killing hundreds of people while clearing pro-Morsi protest camps in the capital.

Bahira Galal fills a box of chocolates at her shop in Cairo, where she sells sweets embellished with pictures of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Oct. 24.(Photo: Sarah Lynch for USA TODAY)

But for many the government is simply doing what it takes to restore security.

Egyptians "have tolerated injustice for centuries, but they cannot tolerate insecurity," said Sadek, who teaches at the American University in Cairo. "This is a very important cultural issue people don't understand. Why do I vote for the army? Because I lack security."

Not everyone wants al-Sisi to rule. A persistent sector of the population continues to protest the coup, and some liberals say his election would be a bad move for Egypt.

"Having someone like Sisi again as president means we are in the same situation we've been in since 1952 whereby the military establishment has a very heavy say in all the affairs, all the issues, related to how to run the country," Dawoud said. "And that would not be a step forward."

And there is always the possibility that the al-Sisi adoration will fade.

The tourism industry on which so many depend continues to drag. Many are desperate for work, but reforms to improve the economy — like ending Egypt's expensive system of fuel and food subsidies that distort economic activity — are not popular.

Security challenges persist as Christian and government sites face repeated attacks and the nation's leaders have yet to fulfill the 2011 revolution's demands — freedom, social justice and dignity.

"The main reasons we had two uprisings in three years have still not been addressed," said Hisham Kassem, a publisher and democracy activist. "When it comes to the presidential elections, anyone who can persuade people that their life can be better and they can put bread on the table I think will start leading the popularity contest."

At least for now, some will keep looking to al-Sisi.

"There are no leaders on the scene, and he is the only one at the moment who can lead the country," Galal said, inside her chocolate shop. "The country needs a strongman at this critical time. We don't want anyone else — we want Sisi."

Slabs of chocolate with pictures of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sit on a counter in a shop and cafe in central Cairo on Oct. 24.(Photo: Sarah Lynch for USA TODAY)